Why You Should Be Afraid of Being Afraid of Spiders
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
September 26, 2015 8:03pm CST
I just saw another story today where a fear of spiders nearly killed someone.
I remember a few years ago, when a bunch of people from the office were going out after work and we all were traveling down the highway to the restaurant when suddenly one car pulled over to the side of the road and the girl driving got out waving her arms wildly. She'd seen a spider in the car. She and the people behind her were lucky they weren't in an accident as she suddenly veered off the road.
A couple of days ago, I read about a woman who was backing out of her driveway when she saw a spider on her shoulder. She jumped out of the car with it still running. Her 9 year old son was still in the car. He tried to jump into the driver's seat to stop the car but hit the accelerator instead of the brake and rammed the car into a school bus that was going by. Luckily, no one was hurt. But it could have been deadly.
And tonight I saw the craziest story. A man pumping gas saw a spider NEAR HIS GAS TANK and decided to kill it with his LIGHTER. In trying to incinerate the spider - well, you know what happened, right? His car and the gas pump both went up in flames. He managed not to be hurt, but he could have hurt himself and a lot of other people.
All I can think is that the fear of spiders is much more dangerous than the spiders themselves. Maybe that's why people say they are DEATHLY afraid of spiders.
Are you deathly afraid of spiders?
15 people like this
18 responses
@allknowing (136778)
• India
27 Sep 15
That poor spider is unnecessarly blamed. That could be anything including a cockroach. I have a friend whose reaction would be such that is displayed when one sees a hungry tiger and all what she sees is a cockroach.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136778)
• India
27 Sep 15
@Rollo1 I am only scared of snakes and frogs because snakes come to eat them.
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
27 Sep 15
I was driving and one came down on my shoulder. I just waited for it to go somewhere else. Although I did pretend to make a big deal about it, I didn't serve or anything.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
27 Sep 15
I have been stung by a wasp while driving and had a bee buzzing in my face while driving and had spiders crawling across the windshield while driving. While you're behind the wheel, running around and screaming isn't an option. You have to keep driving. Safely.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
27 Sep 15
@Rollo1 Yes, that's why I don't serve for animals either. Serving is not a natural movement for a car and can lead to dire consequences greater than impacting said animal.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
27 Sep 15
Anyone who would attempt to burn a poor innocent spider deserves to be burned.
Naturally I would be very apprehensive about such species as a tarantula or black widow, but I have seem people become hysterical over the presence of a simple household spider. Even the largest thick bodied members of such a species are rather small and insignificant compared to a human, yet they instill greater fear than you would expect a tiger to create.
Even in Australia, where there are deadly spiders, the majority of fatalities are caused by people panicking and becoming involved in road accidents on some description.
1 person likes this
sat on her tuffin
eating her curds
and stuffed
along came a spider
sat down be cider
so she crushed
the little bugger
with a spoon
@besweet (9859)
• Ireland
27 Sep 15
I'm afraid of being afraid of anything. Fear is not a good feeling, it can make you react in unpredictable ways and maybe hurt yourself more. I am afraid of spiders though and I am working on it. It's a fear that was developed when I was a teenager and it's difficult to manage it.
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
27 Sep 15
It depends on what kind of spider it is. One really huge spider actually dropped on my head once, but I didn't put anyone's life or my own in danger trying to get rid of it. That woman who jumped out from the car with her kid still inside though... 
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
27 Sep 15
When a fear response puts you in MORE danger, you might need some therapy to handle your phobia
1 person likes this
@shubho666 (79)
• Kolkata, India
27 Sep 15
i am not afraid of spiders i just don't like them...they kind of look weird...you know with eight legs and weird body shape...and not to mention the bite...and i dont know why they have a tendency to visit people's house every now and then.. may be to catch insects or to scare the people i dont know why..but it really annoying..
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
28 Sep 15
Nope. I don't like them , but I have too many in my house.
People should leave their ligjter s and cell phones on the car so they don't forget.
@hora_fugit (5862)
• India
27 Sep 15
I might be afraid of spiders. But I don't have any kid. Nor any desire to kill spiders 'cause they make me uneasy.
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
27 Sep 15
Never been bothered by spiders or snakes - we don't get tarantula sized beasts here in Britain though
@Tampa_girl7 (50317)
• United States
27 Sep 15
I am afraid of spiders. I hope that my fear never leads me to do anything foolish.
